About Us

Background: On June 25th, 2015 the United States Supreme Court ruled to uphold nationwide health care law subsidies. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), states were tasked with setting up their own exchanges where individuals could purchase healthcare. Some states created exchanges, while others opted to use exchanges run by the federal government. The question at issue in the Supreme Court case King v. Burwell was whether individuals in states who purchased their insurance through the federally run marketplaces as opposed state run exchanges, are eligible for subsidies under the law. The high court’s ruling affirms that subsidies to those purchasing health insurance through the federally run marketplaces are proper under the Court’s interpretation of the ACA.

Statement from Kristin Stephenson, Vice President Policy & Advocacy Muscular Dystrophy Association:Since its passage, MDA has remained committed to monitoring how the ACA impacts our community. We have kept those with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular diseases up-to-date on issues such as the elimination of insurance restrictions on pre-existing conditions, the elimination of lifetime caps on insurance coverage, the expansion of the time young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance, the establishment of the CLASS Act and the issues surrounding the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug coverage. With this ruling by the Supreme Court, we look forward to continuing this dialogue with our community.

We are committed to providing accurate information that informs families of their options and advocating for public policies that benefit our community, such as increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act, 21st Century Cures Act, the Innovation for Healthier American’s initiative in the Senate, MD CARE Act, and more.

About MDA

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world’s leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to saving and improving the lives of people with muscle disease, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neuromuscular diseases. It does so by funding worldwide research to find treatments and cures; by providing comprehensive health care services and support to MDA families nationwide; and by rallying communities to fight back through advocacy, fundraising and local engagement.